


Thank You

by sanva



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Not all characters that would be present get speaking roles, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-18 14:24:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18701401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanva/pseuds/sanva
Summary: As they arrived in orbit nerves had come to a head, anger, and rage sweeping through them as once a burst of energy rocked their vessel and shifted the universe once more.





	Thank You

**Author's Note:**

> AU where Tony was well enough to go with them when they found Thanos pre-beheading.

There was near silence as the ship landed. The buzz of the engines and flaps of little songbirds—or the planet’s equivalent anyway—as they fled the foreign construct. The breeze slipped through the rows of crops, leading up to the armor shining in the orange glow of the recently terraformed planet’s sun.

As they had arrived in orbit nerves had come to a head, anger, and rage sweeping through them as a burst of familiar energy rocked their vessel and shifted the universe once more.

There was a plan in play, but that plan had gone out the window when Carol reported back to them after performing recon. Her usual stone expression had broken into puzzlement. The planet had no defenses; it was just a virtual untouched paradise of nature. Still, they were careful, cautiously circling around as they paced towards the figures sitting on the porch of the simply built farmhouse. 

There were three forms, two laid out and one sitting, an armored hand sliding gently over a scared scalp of one body.

They hesitated, for just a moment, before a decision was made for them.

“You’re right on time,” her voice was strong, a tad husky, and she didn’t even look up, away from the glazed eyes of the figure too similar and yet different from one of their own. “I know you’re there. No need to creep about.”

They came out, weapons still at the ready, eyes darting between her, the headless corpse of Thanos, and the green-skinned man settled in front of her, blank eyes staring up at the violet-blue sky.

Each had so many questions.

Brown eyes slipped over each of them as she looked them over, a small, sad smile on her lips.

“It’s over,” she continued, before any could find their own voice. Her eyes stopped on Rocket and her expression tightened. “Tell Quill we’re sorry. Hers was one life that couldn’t be returned.”

“What?” the question was choked out.

“You don’t have to worry about the stones anymore,” her free hand reached to her side, “at least most of them. I assume that I can trust you to return this to Dr. Strange?”

“Where are the others?” It was Nebula that found her voice, accepting this strange situation before the others.

“Gone. Hidden.” She grinned, nose crinkling and brown eyes sparkling. She glanced down at the bracelet she wore as one of the beads lit up. “No one but us will know where. No clues have been hidden. No maps provided for someone to stumble upon . . . and soon no voices to spill the secrets.”

“Who are you?” Tony asked stepping forward. “Why—what did you do?”

“Our reality couldn’t be saved,” she pressed a button on the armband resting on the right hand of the body in front of her and watched as nanotech formed a white suit over the body. She double-checked a screen and then stood up, gentling the large green-skinned head onto the step of the porch before it too was covered by a helmet. “But this one can.”

“Our reality?” Steve asked staring—they were all staring—as the body blinked out of existence.

“Where I’m from,” she turned back to them, brown curls framing her face where they had escaped from the tight bun at the nape of her neck, “Thanos finished it. He,” she swallowed, “destroyed the stones. After, it took years, but the Avengers . . . eventually, you fixed it. But we . . . the world lost a lot both the day the snap was undone and in the years prior. And the universe.” A hollow laugh fell from her lips. “The stones hold back a darkness you can’t imagine. Just by their very existence. One that causes more destruction than Thanos did in his march across the galaxy.”

“You’re from the future.”

She looked to him, to the one person she had tried to avoid eye contact with, even while soaking in everything about him. “Yeah,” her voice broke again, lips twisted as she pressed them together tightly, nodding, “yeah. A future anyway. One that is mostly bad, at least at the end. I hope the good parts will still happen here, but it’s worth it.”

“How far?” Tony’s voice was soft as he searched her face.

“Ah,” she shook her head eyes softening, “that would be telling. And the first rule of time travel, well . . .” she glanced at Thanos and shrugged, “maybe we broke that one. But I feel like it would be breaking a rule somewhere if I told you that.”

“Why hide the others and not the time stone?” Steve asked.

She smiled at him, remembering just who had been the inspiration for the Hail Mary she and her team had performed.

“Earth—this galaxy—will need the time stone and it was the best protected of the lot and will continue to be. The others?” She tsked and shrugged a little. “Are still essential for this reality’s continued existence, but are best kept out of reach.” She stopped and squinted up at the sky. The sun was reaching its zenith and finally, the deluge of questions began.

She ignored them, smiling softly. Taking a deep breath, she tossed the container they had placed the time stone in to Natasha and clapped her hands together. “As much as I would love to stay and chat, I think you all have places to be . . . family to hug, babies to kiss, people to collect, etc, etc.” She waved her hand in the air. 

Brown eyes met brown as she turned her full attention to Tony Stark—the only one who wasn’t protesting or questioning. The last bead on her bracelet lit up and she lifted it up. “Looks like it’s time for me to go.”

An outfit much like the one that had folded over her companion's body snapped into place around her body, folding over the dark, scratched up metal armor that had covered her from neck to toe.

“Wait,” Tony stepped forward, eyes narrowed in thought as he neared her, “your universe, what will you do?”

She smiled and tilted her head as the voices around them quieted. “Whatever we can. But,” she paused, eye trailing down to shattered and burn gauntlet on the ground, “at least we know one world, one reality is safe.”

Taking a step back her hand drifted down to her wrist again and she met his gaze once more. A tear slid down her cheek. Her voice was rushed, husky, and quiet as she spoke her last words to them. To him.

“Thank you.”

A helmet snapped into place over her head and she disappeared, blinking out of existence and leaving them all standing in a circle with confusion swirling around them.

Tony Stark stared at the place she had been and then glanced at the body of Thanos, headless, burned, and bound in a shimmering silver metal that reminded him so much of—

The breath caught in his throat and hands flexed.

_”Thank you.”_

For what?

Around them the beautiful paradise of a world seemed so empty, but the universe . . . the universe . . .

The universe . . .

**Author's Note:**

> If there is any confusion, about 20 years down the line things are bad in the universe due to the infinity stones all being destroyed. A group decides if they can't save their reality/timeline, at least they can save another. They stop Thanos before he destroys the stones. 
> 
> To prevent the non-snapped Avengers of this world from getting confused about what happened, they wait until their arrival in the system and then snap everyone they can back into reality in safe places. Some IW deaths are still permanent (Vision, Loki, and Gamora). Professor Hulk volunteers to die so this Universes Natasha will live as he already did snap it once in this timeline he doesn't survive this time.
> 
> Morgan Stark having taken up her father's mantle stays behind to give the time stone to them to be returned to the Sorcerer Supreme while the rest of their team are transported away to different corners of the universe to hide the other stones. 
> 
> After hiding them they return to their own reality to try and continue the fight. Maybe it's against Galactus, someone else, or a bunch of big bads all converging. But it's worse than half the universe being snapped. The timeline went dark like the ancient one showed Banner for the realities where the stones weren't returned.
> 
> Peter is one that came with them, you can make up your own mind of who else would have joined them.
> 
> 09/19/19: Edited for spelling, punctuation, grammar, and word choice.


End file.
